At the conclusion of each year the students in the Awakened Heart School are invited to share their reflections on the experience of the past year.
"Being a member of the Awakened Heart School this year and the many years prior have anchored me in a spiritual community in Albany. John and Mimi share profound love and long experience with all sorts of ancient wisdom. They are stewards of deep knowledge and transformative practices - it is a real honor to study with them as they share their spirits in a sweet circle of friendship. "
"The Awakened Heart School is my home for spiritual connection and personal development. John and Mimi are teachers and facilitators who help guide us on our spiritual paths and create a safe haven for us to open up about whatever is happening in our lives. I enjoy the combination of meditation and teachings, and the camaraderie between all of us in the group. It is a special place."
"Awakened Heart School is the right place for all who want to enrich their lives by looking more deeply at their spiritual aspirations and struggles. The stage is set by Mimi and John, two extremely knowledgeable and caring teachers who have skillfully created a learning space that is creative, nurturing, informative, and challenging. I keep coming back to the well."
"As another year comes to a close I feel a tinge of sadness similar to what I feel every year at this time. I will miss the rich teachings and the accompanying practices that help me learn. I will miss the mystical moments when I experience an “a-ha” or connect with the divine. And I will miss the people with whom I share these experiences twice a month, when I can be who I am and say what I feel in a completely accepting environment. But with the sadness comes the good news that when September comes I will be able to do it all over again: to learn, to experience, to grow, to share.
For anyone who wants to develop spiritually, experience inner growth, and connect with people with similar aspirations, the Awakened Heart School awaits you."
"My time with AHS this year has brought a deeper sense of belonging and adventure with other 'seekers' engaged together in a spiritual learning community. Our shared practices and dialogue invite deep cultivation of an artful and contemplative life style that is so useful during these tumultuous times. Further, the AHS community serves as a loving and sacred container for the creative integration of many aspects of who I am and who I am becoming."
"The Awakened Heart School is more than a school. It’s a refuge where I can focus on me and feel the trust and guidance of John, Mimi, and others on their path. It’s a place where I am away from the everyday world yet am forced to confront the issues that make living life a challenge. It’s a home for spirituality, where I can discover who I am and who I’m really not. As someone who needs spirituality but never found organized religion satisfying enough, I am grateful to have found this school and the people associated with it."
"Prior to joining the Awakened Heart School, I felt that I was a person divided---that while hurrying through the day, I was not fully present much of the time and was operating on “automatic pilot.” While I had been aware of this disconnection for many years, my efforts alone did not bring about permanent change. Since joining the group, I now feel that body and mind are more integrated and that I am more authentic in relationships. My feelings are more accessible and I have a sense of aliveness that comes only from being in the present moment.
"In the Awakened Heart School, there is a didactic component and interactive exercises in which defensive patterns are explored in a relational context. There is a sharing of what is real for each individual. I have made meditation a daily practice. Very importantly, there is the support of a community of men and women who honor the individuality and path of each person. I have gained more than I had ever imagined and greatly anticipate the year to come."
Reflections on Course I from 2009-2010
Reflections on Course I from 2007-2008